More than just customers.

The month of February walks by and the first Friday of the month comes in,  what is regarded as Black History Month is actually regarded as the month of lovers, or at least for the restaurants.  I enjoy the chaos that the restaurant brings us, it almost brings a sense of calmness and a point of meditation and that is exactly what we need when we are being slammed.

The moment of panic finds its way, creeping in to everyone in the restaurant, the cooks, servers and hell even the dishwasher and it all goes haywire for about twenty minutes.  Slowly picking up where we all left off, a familiar face walks inside my restaurant.  Regulars of mine walk in, they’ve always came together and sometimes they bring their friends, it is to the extent that I think they are more than just my customers and I’d be lying if I say that I don’t look at them as friends.  They’ve been coming every now and then since the restaurant had opened though it seemed that there was a period in which they didn’t come at all, and today was the day I found out why.

A slender man and his sister walk towards the receiving table of the hostess, they had specifically requested to served by yours truly and that was nothing new, they have been my regular customers ever since I started this job and today was no different.  They’ve placed themselves in my care with so much trust in our relationship that they’d let me order their courses for them.  I had decided to let them know of what is actually being cut fresh and what would make a good first course, off-course they started with what was fresh and it happened to be a new style of Maguro sashimi, followed by a second course of Saikyo Miso Seabass, all was going well and everything seemed to be going the right direction, drinks we’re pouring and cocktails are moving.  It was all a server would want, a table of great people, willing to joke around and people who appreciate your company.

All is going smooth and at the corner of my eye I see a empty plate of what they had for dinner, I thought to myself that it was just fine and I went ahead and suggested them a desert that they have yet to have in my restaurant, needless to say they we’re very impressed.  Dinner service for them was about to end, they took some one more cocktail to share and I hand them the bill.  The bill wasn’t something that would be considered high but part of that was because of their company, they made my night that much better.  I was being skipped on the rotation for some insane reason and people just didn’t seem to be sat in my section, monetary wise I was being fucked in the ass.  Then these people come in, all smiles and with the want to even talk to me and this alone put a smile on my face.  I’ve always enjoyed their company and sure their generosity goes a long way but that isn’t even why I’m happy to see them, this is a point in which your customer becomes more than just someone who pays your bills.

They pay for their tab and end up staying for a little while, we talk and since they often ask what times and days I work and since it does change, I decided to give them my e-mail address and to just shoot me a message and out of sheer enjoyment I let them in on the secret of this blog and actually mention to them the reaction of some people when they read the story I wrote about them.  I told them that it included my whole interaction with them and even with the kid who had changed my outlook on waiting tables, only for them to tell me that that child had passed away.  A rock fell in my heart and I couldn’t help but shed a tear, I wanted to do more but I had to hold myself up, it all seemed so dark and cruel yet I had no way to recollect myself.  I hope all is well for them and I do wish them the best, I’m at the position where I would be willing to do as they ask without the need for gratuity, inside and outside of my restaurant.

If you are reading this my dear friends, I hope that all is well and I hope to see your faces for many more times to come.

I thank you for being so kind, and more so I thank you for being a friend.

Sincerely,

Your friend and waiter today.

 

& for those who have no idea who I’m referring to, this is the blog post about them that I had wrote before.

http://bit.ly/A8uvZL

Surprises

Today was somewhat a special day for me, not because it was MLK Jr. Day but because it is actually my birthday.  Now I come in to my restaurant thinking that no one even knows about it and upon arriving no one greeted me a single happy birthday.  I mean I wasn’t expecting it so it wasn’t bothering me at all, I tend to spend my birthdays either working or sleeping at home and getting plastered the day after so to me being at the restaurant on my birthday was nothing new, plus I didn’t want to take another day off specially since I took a week off to travel and also because I need the money…

The day was rather slow and it seemed that no money was to be made and this continues till dinner is served and I look to count how much I made and I’ve summed a little under $100, not bad but not too good neither.  I was called by the owner and it gave me the idea that I had fucked up somewhere, somehow.  He told me that I’ve made some mistakes but he refuses to tell me what they we’re and instead just sends me out of the office.  I go back to where I was originally sitting and see Freshwater Eel on a layer of rice and a carrot in the shape of a rose with a candle on top, my heart skipped a beat.  The reason I got Eel Steak as my meal was because the very first meal I had at the restaurant was that very kind of eel, it made me wanna tear up because I felt that they actually knew but acted so coldly about it, it was surprising to me.  After I finish my steak, the next course comes out, a cookies and cream ice cream cake; this was astounding not only because they went over the top and got me my favorite kind of cake flavor, just knowing that they paid attention to the little conversations us servers have.

Now I know people will say that this happens to them quite often, but I believe that the people I work for really do care about their employees.  There comes a time when employees become more than your slave workers, they become a vital part of the restaurant, they become family.  When you pass the level of employee, the work flow becomes easier to handle, less problems come up, time moves by in the blink of an eye and most importantly money just comes to you.  I’m not saying that when you become close to the people you work for, life suddenly does a complete 180.  It doesn’t, your outlook becomes significantly better and you become more of an optimist.

The fact that they would spend money outside the restaurant for one of their easily replaced servers is beyond me and that just shows that you aren’t working solely for the tips, you are also working because you want to help the family succeed.  Surprises come in such strange ways, the shape of an eel and the taste of a cake.

If you we’re to ever read this my employer.  I hope you know that it is an honor to work for you and I would do to the best of my ability all I can to make sure that we both prosper.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

 

-Also, here’s a cellphone picture of the Eel Steak!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks good doesn’t it?